#1 Spending a little time on the floor.
I’m not suggesting you need to get rid of your furniture or spend your whole day down there.
I once went to someone’s house for dinner and we sat on cushions on the floor during the meal. My partner at the time was not impressed.
But just a few minutes a day on the floor can make you stronger, more agile and more confident.
Sitting on the floor is rarely done outside a yoga or pilates class. Some exercise classes will get you down there but not all of them. I love a good dance class and I’m generally getting down. Just not all the way to the ground
Are you challenged by sitting on the floor? I know even very ‘fit’ people who are super uncomfortable on the floor.
Here is the thing. Sitting on the floor will make you stronger (how are you going to get up?) more agile (how are you going to position your lower body once you are down there?) and more confident because just knowing you can get up makes you more willing to try new movements in your life.
There are so many benefits to what is called ‘closed chain kinetic movement’, ie having the floor directly beneath you. For one it creates a whole body effect. The effect of gravity makes you stronger partly because being on the floor makes it harder to move around. This novel movement also helps create more neurological connections (brain/body connections).
Another is injury prevention! Most of your proprioceptors are in your joints and being on the floor gives you a lot of neurological ‘feedback’. The resulting motor control is so important. We used to think that stability was a matter of tightening up and holding on for dear life. Not so. You are more prone to an injury if you are not able to move and breath in a greater range of motion. If you practice a little at a time eventually your knees and wrists will become way less ‘tender’ but I highly recommend using a blanket or any other padding you need for as long as you need.
One of the things that I love most about floor time is the feeling of emotional and mental grounding. Literally. Move around, sit in as many ways as you can, go to hands and knees, lay on your back, roll around get up. Even a couple of times a week feels so good!
You are not too old or too stiff or too uncoordinated to get some more strength on the floor!
Here are four ways to sit on the floor – there are hundreds more! Try as many as you can think of
If you enjoy the video below – get the move of the week ! It is a free weekly video like the one below with little moves you can do at home!
Also, once you are there – try some of these moves. Get the move of the week here! Enjoy!
Video Player